Problems with 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt STEERING

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact started the ignition and the "power steering" warning light indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. the warning indicator remained illuminated until the engine was turned off. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. on a separate occasion the vehicle loss complete power steering which resulted in greater effort to turn the steering wheel. the failures occurred intermittently. the vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunction. the contact had concern of the safety risk involved. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 27,819. the current mileage was 46,594.

I have a 2006 chevy cobalt which was bought brand new. it now has 67,000 miles on it. at approx. 45,000 the power steering light and theft deterrent light began blinking. the car doesn't even have a security system. we took it to the gm dealer who "fixed" the problem by tearing into the steering column and cleaning all of the plugs. it works fine for a few months, then it did it again. they then did the same thing and cleaned the plugs. the third time we took it back they replaced the steering column and it was good for about a year. it began acting up again and we took it back and they cleaned the plugs again. after years of frustration and complaining, we finally figured out what controls it. when you operate the tilt wheel it will either fix or hinder the problem worse or better than what it is at the time. i saw that nhtsa is looking into this and i wanted to file a complaint as well as everyone else to let them know i am not happy with the electronic assist steering. there was a point where you could be going down highway and going around a turn and the power steering wouldn't' be working, and it would kick in and out jerking the wheel. making it difficult for the drive to keep the vehicle in its own lane. in addition to being hard to park, this is a horrid system. i will never buy a cobalt again due to this safety issue, it almost forced me to wreck going down the highway. *tr

Well my power steering worked for a while when i bought it,but one day i was getting on the interstate and all of a sudden my power steering icon came on and it got very hard to steer so i pull over and turn the car off turn it back on and it worked fine. a few days pass and it happens again so i turn it off and bout 30 minutes later it happens again. now my power steering only works bout 4 seconds long enough for me to restart my car to make a u-turn. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving approximately 45 mph on normal road conditions, two chimes sounded followed by an unintended loss of power steering. the driver had to exert more effort to turn the steering wheel. the power steering failure warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel and remained lit until the engine was turned off. the driver pulled over to the side of the road. immediately, the engine was turned off and then restarted. the vehicle was driven with caution to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated that the failure was related to the power steering. the part was unavailable and ordered for the repair. the failure and current mileages were 10,200. updated 3/9/09 *cn

I have owned my car since sept 09 and since i have had 4 different incidents where the power steering has went out and locked up my wheel. there have been some close calls and im afraid that i will get injured if it happens again. each time has occurred at different times in different weather and so on. on feb 4 2010 i was returning home from work and the wheel locked up and i went completely off the road into a field. i turn the car off and it starts driving fine again. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. approximately four months ago, the steering column rattled whenever the contact attempted to stop his vehicle. the dealer repaired the failure for free. currently, the failure has recurred. the current and failure mileages were 31,243.

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle began to make noise and the power steering light illuminated. the vehicle then began to jerk and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. the vehicle shut off and would not restart. the current and failure mileages were 39,000.

My 2006 chevy cobalt had the same problem that i saw on the ccn report about the loss of power steering. this occurred in 2008 as i was coming off a highway ramp. no accident, when i reached my house, i shut off the power and restarted car 15 minutes later and car worked fine. has not happened since. *tr

While driving on a straight road my power steering failed and i lost control of the car. the car jerked severely and eventually caused me to cross over a double yellow line into the parking lot of a tow truck company. i hit 2 tow trucks and my car was totaled. *tr

I have a 2006 cobalt ss/sc with 60k miles. i will start the car and powersteering will be fine. then i drive about 5 min and power steering pops up on my dic and powersteering goes out. dealer wants a grand to fix. i think its pathetic gm doesn't recall this problem. if my problem doesn't get resolved i will never buy a gm car again. people wonder why we buy foreign cars. this is absolutely ridiculous! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving approximately 10 mph on dirt or rugged roads, the steering column would rattle. the failure would not occur on smooth surfaces. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the steering column was faulty. the current and failure mileages were 51,700. updated 03-04-08 *bf

Power steering doesn't work. *tr

Power steering fails 1/2 mile from start up. resets upon start up. car has 41k miles and outside of warranty. chevy dealership estimated fix cost $1200.00!!!!!! the entire steering column will need to be replaced!!!!!!! the power steering fails during driving and the car is very difficult to steer, creating a very dangerous event to those drivers not prepared for the loss of power steering. obviously a premature failure of an electrical component. should be recalled!!!!!! *tr

My wife was driving the car at 25 mph on a straight road. the dashboard warning light came on warning that the power steering was inoperative. this made the car virtually impossible to make the turn at the next intersection. she pulled over to the side of the road so that she did not get in to an accident. she restarted the car and the warning light was not on. after traveling about 2-3 miles the same incident happened and the steering without the electronic assistance was not an option and she pulled to the side of the road. she contacted gm who had to tow the car to the chevrolet service station. the steering computer module was replaced. this incident took place in december 2007. on april 30,2008 the same scenario happened except this time the check engine light, t/c light and power steering light was on and the car was bucking. she contacted gm again who had the car towed to the chevrolet service station. the service station referenced service bulletin 070232007. the codes where reset and the car was test drove. at this time no codes where present. the service center called to inform us of this condition. they however did not feel comfortable sending the vehicle back to us at this time. the service center kept the car an additional 24 hours to test drive and code test. after 24 hours the service center contacted us to pick the vehicle up. as a car owner i do not feel confident in my wife driving this unsafe vehicle. the electronic steering when inoperative makes the car uncontrollable and very unsafe. this is the second incident with the same conditions. this makes this car unsafe and an accident waiting to happen. when a cars electronic steering fails the car should still be controllable and this car is not. *tr

Power assist has gone out 5 times on this car. steering the car becomes very hard and difficult. when it happens it's unexpected and could cause an accident. called a chevy dealership service dept. he told me to check the fuse. i did, not the problem. i'm reading about so many with this same problem that there should be a recall on this. *tr

My chevy cobalt ls 2006 2-d lost its steering power and i had a hard time driving it but luckily i was still under the 36,000 miles warranty when i brought it to the dealership. it was fixed but i'm just worried that it may happen again and my car is not under warranty anymore and i see that it costs $2000.00 to have it fixed and in addition to this, it may cause a major accident without steering capabilities. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while decelerating from 55 mph, the power steering warning lamp illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the ignition switch, electrical component, axle, and shift was repaired. the failure recurred and the power steering warning lamp re-illuminated. the failure mileage was unavailable and the current mileage was 148,000.

Powering steering failure. *tr

2006 chevrolet cobalt. shakes violently after driving about 30 minutes on the highway. does not do this just around town 4 or 5 miles from home. dealer cannot reproduce this shaking problem nor can they find the problem. it shakes so bad that i am afraid to drive into the city. i do alot of business in the city so i am at a loss as to how i am going to work. i am an independent sales person. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving 40 mph, the contact heard a beeping sound and the power steering failed completely. the vehicle had to be restarted. the power steering failure began intermittently, but has now become more frequent. the current and failure mileages were 6,209.

Starting in october 2007, i have had ongoing power steering problems with my 2006 chevy cobalt. without warning, the power steering will suddenly quit while the transmission will start jumping. the car becomes unable to drive. this will happen while driving. the problem will occur and then go back to normal a short time later. i have brought my car into the dealer four times now concerning this issue. i have been told that they don't know what to do. i am not the only one experiencing this problem. after doing some research, i have found that this happens to be a very common problem with the cobalt. there is currently an online petition to have the chevy cobalt recalled. this is a huge safety issue!!! i am afraid to drive my car. something needs to be done before someone is killed. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that an abnormal chiming noise was heard from the steering wheel area when suddenly, the power steering assist malfunctioned and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the electric power steering motor was faulty and needed the be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the defect was not remedied. the manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. the failure mileage was 45,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the power steering locks frequently while driving at any speed. the failure normally occurs when driving in reverse out of her driveway. she pulled over and had to turn off and restart the vehicle in order for the steering to unlock. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the repair would cost $800. the repair would consist of changing the power steering electrical system. on june 14, 2008, the contact was unable to turn off the vehicle. she had to remove random fuses in order to shut off the vehicle. the manufacturer stated that they would assist with a $200 certificate because there was no recall. she will not have the vehicle repaired and wants the manufacturer to trade the vehicle. the vin and speed were unavailable. the failure mileage was 32,000 and current mileage was 67,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving 35 mph, the vehicle experienced electrical failure and lost power steering. the contact crashed into a ditch. a police report was filed. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. the current and failure mileages were 17,800. * updated 12/12/07 *bf the consumer stated electrical problem resulted in loss of gauges and also resulted in low fuel message. the consumer stated the accident resulted in $6,500 worth of damages. updated 12/12/07 *tr

Tl*-the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that intermittently the electronic power steering fails; which causes loss of steering. loss of steering increases the risk of vehicle crash. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, and a technician concluded that the power steering module need to be replaced at an expense of $1000.00.she contacted the manufacturer, but was not provided with any assistance. no repairs were made. the failure and current mileages were was 26,000. bl

Smelled gas and saw gas leaking from under car. small fire started and put it out. took car in. steering wheel locked up fixed but never right. now the ignition switch is being fixed but all the lights in the dash are lighted up due to this. no turn signals. car is not right. car has never been right! *tr

I have a 2006 chevy cobalt purchased used with 28000 miles on it. all my problems started about a month after i bought the car. the steering wheel started shaking violently when driving at 50 mph and over so i took it in to a chevy dealer and they rotated and balanced the tires and that seemed to fix that problem. about 2 weeks i was driving home and i was sitting at a red light and the car just shut off. i restarted the car and every thing was fine on the dash board, no warning lights or messages in the driver information center. i started driving again and when i press on the gas there was this loud grinding noise and it felt like the car was not shifting gears properly. so i pulled over on the side of the road and turned the car off for about 10 minutes and restarted it and it drove fine. now at this point im just thinking that there is a malfunction in the computer. i took the car to the dealer the next day and they scanned the computer and found no errors and everything was checking out fine. about 3 weeks later i was driving on the highway and i lost complete control of steering and the power steering message in the driver information center was displayed along with the check engine light. unable to steer i had to stop in the middle of the highway and shut the car off. i waited about 20 minutes and restarted the car and the power steering warning message and check engine light had gone away and i gained steering control again. i once again took the car to the dealer and they could not find anything wrong with the car. now some days when i start my car the power steering warning message and the check engine light come on and some days the car drives fine and its really starting to frustrate me. in addition to the steering problem i am unable to remove my key form the ignition. to this day none of my problems have been resolved. *jb

I have a 2006 chevy cobalt and my power steering is going out randomly as i am driving. the car will give no indication that the power steering is about the stop working and then all at once the power steering light will come on and i can not turn the wheel at all. i have tried for over 2 years to get chevy to do something and still nothing has been done. it has started occurring everyday over the past week . *tr

2 months a after a bought the car i was turning around in a drive way when i lost the ability to turn car hit a tree trunk paid over 300.00 to get fixed and then had problems with the front end at high speeds shaking in the steering wheel only slamming on the brakes would stop the shaking sent the car back 4 times but they were unable to find the problem also there is a leak in the roof at the on-star button which is going to cause alot of problems if not fixed again sent it back with no results. *tr

My power steering on my 2006 chevy cobalt ss is going out and is very loud and clunky. *tr

This is in documentation of my 2006 chevy cobalt. replaced the steering column, replaced steering shaft, rubbing and grinding, knocking on steering column and floor pan area, when coming to a stop car rpm's will drop so low that the car will almost die, speakers have a rattle like they are going to quit working, lost power assist while in a turn once documented has now happened twice, when using turn signal with high beams on lights will shut off,passenger side bumper was pulled away from headlamp. *jb

Tl* - the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that there was a sound in the front end of the vehicle under the hood. she had been hearing that noise since she purchased the vehicle. she said that one could hear the sound 85% of the time, and that it was usual while driving at a slow rate of speed. the weather was not a factor. the dealership told the contact that this was normal for this type of vehicle. the current mileage was 20,600 and the failure mileage was 2,500. *ak the consumer switch dealers due to the fact berglund stated noise is normal. pinkerton(dealer) tries to assess what the problem is decided multiple cases of gear concerns and replaced steering gear but the consumer states they can't really pinpoint the problem. consumer has provided various invoices. update *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. the contact mentioned that due to the failure the vehicle was extremely difficult to park. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician stated that the vehicle was working up to standards. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 1,000 and the current mileage was 261,656.

2006 chevy cobalt coupe power steering goes out needs to be recalled for repair this is a wide spread problem that chevrolet refuses to acknowledge. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact is dissatisfied that her vehicle is only one year old and is under recall # 07v014000 (structure). she received the recall notice in march of 2007. the contact has already had the upper steering column replaced, but is still hearing a clumping noise. she has notified two dealers in her area, but neither have called her back because they have not received the parts for the vehicle. the contact has waited over a month to have the recall repair work performed. the vehicle has been at the dealer since february. the engine size was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 24,000.

I purchased my 2006 cobalt in february of 2007 with mileage of +/- 30000, within the first 2 weeks i had to have the steering column and power steering assist replaced and had to pay for front end alignment caused by the steering a) steering wheel shaking when driving at highway speeds and very violently when breaking and b) the power steering going out. the car now has 107000 miles on it and have had trouble with this same shaking when driving and it being violent when breaking. the dealership states gm is aware but i still have had to redo my front brakes twice (which helps temporarily)..the last time being in june or august of 2013. the shop tells me the problem the first time was the front rotors were sticking and the ground them down smooth. then the shaking started again. i had to take my car in to have the rotors ground down again and have a serpentine belt replaced. so here i am again 7 months later and will have to do this again because the shaking has started again and is becoming so bad it will have to go to the shop again at my cost for something they know about but will not fix. i have already received a recall letter regarding the ignition problem but am told that the parts are not available and will be informed when they are. this steering/braking problem is serious and i some times fear that either something will break inside the car or i will not be able to hold on to the steering wheel and will wreak. i am afraid to drive my car any distance or speed because i fear it will fail and i see that this has been an ongoing problem since 2007 and people have complained but have received no satisfaction. *tr

2006 chevy colbalt.power steering has went out on several times.

Tl*-the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact was driving approximately between 40-60 mph when a loss of power steering occurred. the vehicle continued in operation; and the power steering became functional. the intermittent failure occurred at any given speed on several occasions. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. there was a recall under nhtsa campaign id number 10v073000 (steering: electric power assist system). however, the recall notification letter had not been received at that time. the authorized dealer refused to perform the recall remedy repair without the recall notification letter. the vehicle had not been repaired for the malfunction at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was 10,000. the current mileage was 44,000. updated 11/16/10. *lj

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the vehicle had issues with the engine surging. she took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that there was a dirty injector, in which they replaced. in january of 2007, the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they reprogrammed the computer for the surging issue. in march of 2008, the vehicle was returned to the dealer for a recall on the injectors. in addition to the surging, the vehicle would also shake violently when coming to a stop. the brakes and steering would not function correctly. the vehicle was taken to the dealer in october of 2008 and the powertrain control module was replaced. in november of 2008, the contact took the vehicle to the dealer again in regards to the violent shaking. the dealer could not duplicate the failure and advised the contact to call a tow truck in the event of a crash because they could not assist. in november of 2008, the vehicle began shaking violently and crashed into the preceding vehicle. there were no injuries. the vehicle was taken to another dealer, but they could not duplicate the failure as well. a complaint was filed with the manufacturer and the contact is awaiting their response. she was advised to not operate the vehicle. the speed was unknown. the current mileage was approximately 17,250 and failure mileage was approximately 3,040.

My car makes a very loud rattling sound that is coming from the steering column/rack and pinion. gm canada has told me that they do not have a fix for the problem at this time, but not to be worried as it is not a safety concern at this time. *nm

In the fall of 2006, my 2006 chevrolet cobalt, with 24,000 miles on it, was clunking when turning left or right. i took it to the dealership, where it was diagnosed as having a flawed intermediate steering shaft. the shaft was replaced under the general motors factory 3year 36,000-mile warranty. today is october 5th 2011 and my cobalt has roughly 40,000 miles on it, and once again, i am hearing that same noise all over again. *tr

My vehicle is a chevy cobalt, 2006. the power steering has been going out randomly since i first bought the car. this is very dangerous, especially if i am in the middle of a turn and it goes out, takes me by surprise and have to use more strength to go into the turns. this happens every time i drive it. daily. i was told it would cost me over $2000 to have the power steering replaced, and i don't have the funds to pay for that and pay for my car, so nothing has been fixed on it. this seems to me to be a very serious problem that needs to be taken care of in a recall. i have seen thousands of posts by other owners on the internet relating to this same issue i am having. i also am having problems with the locks, they lock and unlock at will. i can be in or out of the car, and it can be running or not. no rhyme or reason. *tr

I bought a 2006 chevy cobalt brand new and immediatly questioned why the sterring wheel shook whenever i braked. i was told by the dealer and another independent mechanic that because the vehicle was a small plastic gas saver that it was to be expected. the shaking of the sterring wheel gets very severe when going downhill and in incidences of quick stops. i was so sure this car was an accident waiting to happen i did not allow my 17 year old driver to drive it. now, i am hearing about other cevy cobalts that have steering failure and i no longer accept the answers that i have received from the so called professionals. i hope the government will force gm into a recall before my steering fails and i find myself in the hospital because my steering has failed

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving at any speed, the power steering fails. when the failure occurs, the contact must turn off the engine and wait momentarily for the vehicle to restart. in addition, the power steering locks, which makes the key difficult to remove from the ignition. the contact must rattle the key, place the vehicle into park, and continue shifting in order to release the key. the failure mileage was 28,000.

I have owned my 2006 chevy cobalt since june 2006 and have had numerous problems out of this car. i have had to pay out of pocket for every repair because they seem to all happen before a recall is issued and the dealerships will not refund money on the repairs. 1) a/c leaks water in passenger side floor board. i have had it in the shop 3 times and it is still leaking. no one can figure out why the water is leaking into the car. 2) gas tank had to be replaced due to fuel lines cracking. 3) power steering went out while my husband was driving on the interstate and was about 130 miles from home. 4) the car would die if the rpm's got too low, this was caused by a carbon build up on the idler. 5) there is no way to check the transmission fluid and it is starting to slip and take forever to upshift. 6) the key gets stuck in the ignition and will not come out. 7) the drivers side door gets stuck and will not open. 8) the door latch sometimes messes up and the door does not close. 9) the stereo display and buttons no longer work. i can not use the cd player for fear of losing the cd for ever since the eject button doesn't work. i can not see the clock or what station the radio is on. the car lost its value so fast that even after 4 yrs of having it i still can not trade it in due to the amt. i still owe on it. so i am stuck driving this piece of crap until it is paid for. i have already invested several thousands of dollars into this car for these problems. i believe that the car is a lemon and i should be reimbursed for the car and all of the out of pocket repairs i have had to make. *tr

I purchased a 2006 chevy cobalt from the gsa through the norwalk auto auction (norwalk, california) two days ago. while on the way home i experienced a complete power failure of the steering system and the steering wheel became inoperable and struggled to make it to the emergency lane where i stopped. i moved the wheel from side to side and within moments the power steering warning light went off. i continued to have this problem two more times repeated the same process while on my 30+ mile return home. i have visited numerous consumer web sites times since and within the last two days i find that this is a common defect. this is probably why the government issued vehicle was auctioned off. estimates to fix this problem are reported to be approximately $2,000.00. the complaints are numerous and the cost for replacement is obscene. consumers report the repeated failure of this component even on repaired vehicles. apparently the component fails at elevated temperatures repeatedly. i am 6'1" and 250lbs. and i struggled to control the car, there is no doubt that my wife at 5'. 115lbs. will have even more difficulty to maintain control. if i am unable to resolve this issue at a more reduced cost i will sell this vehicle to another unsuspecting individual just like the good 'ol gsa of the usa did to me. this is a serious safety issue and should be addressed. *tr

When turning sharp right in my 2006 chevy cobalt ls 4dr, there is a loud, metal rubbing sound coming from the passenger side wheel well, as if steering is hitting something underneath. only happens when turn is sharp, such as a u-turn or coming out from an alley, driveway, etc. *tr

Power steering keeps failing on my 2006 chevy cobalt. this has just started and i have read that this is a problem with this model. *jb

I am requesting that dot nhtsa investigate the 2006 chevrolet cobalt intermediate steering shaft (part# 10394225) safety problem. this problem occurs when i am accelerating, decelerating, coasting (neutral), and braking. when i turn the steering wheel back and forth it makes a "clunking" noise giving me the notion that there is indeed something in the steering function that is broken. there have been numerous occasions upon accelerating where the steering wheel has overpowered my grip on the steering wheel causing my car to steer very hard to the left almost causing collision with other cars. the loss of control on steering is even worse upon low speed braking; the wheels have in the past turned at a 45 degree angle. again, this has almost caused a number of collisions at stop lights where there are 2 or more lanes, or there is a turning lane. it is only a matter of time before irreparable damage is done. cobalts have been known to replace this part 2-3 times over the course of 5 years in operation. so far no action to replace the part has been done on my part. currently there is a technical service bulletin for the problem but there is no recall. there are significant amounts of testimonies and evidence that there is a serious safety problem here and i wish you to formally investigate. there is no incident report yet, disregard incident date. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving 30 mph, the electric power steering indicator was flashing, which indicated that the power steering was not working. the failure made steering difficult. the lack of power steering almost caused numerous crashes. the current mileage was 60,440 and failure mileage was 56,000.